Probiotics, cultured foods, and prebiotics

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Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are one of the best ways to get as much nutrients as possible from the food. The fermented foods are also a great source of probiotics. There are many health benefits to enrich your nutrition with fermented foods, and they are delicious as well. The only disadvantage is that there are not too many products on the market, and since these are perishable products, with a short shelf life, you have to buy them locally.

There aren't many places where you can buy lacto-fermented pickles, and buying them on Internet is not an option. However, you can make your own lacto-fermented pickles, either using a bacterial starter, or just using a brine, and let the wild bacteria do the job. If you add the proper ingredients, (salt and some prebiotic foods), lactobacilli will always thrive in a salty environment, while bad bacteria will not survive it.

This collection of articles will introduce you in the wonderful world of fermented foods, providing you with information on fermentation methods, tips and tricks, recipes, and health benefits of fermented foods.

Making probiotic milk at home is very easy if you can get the proper milk. The proper milk is the one that can actually nourish bacteria, so a culture can properly develop. Yogurt, buttermilk, and kefir are all fermented milk products with probiotic bacteria, the difference is the recipe, and the resulted bacteria cultures.

Probiotics are microorganisms in a symbiotic relationship with humans, and prebiotics are the food for the microorganisms. In order to benefit from probiotics, (the good microbacterial flora), we need to nourish them, to allow the proper growth of their colony; without the proper food the micro flora would just starve, and eventually die.

Candida overgrowth can be cured with probiotics at home. Probiotics can be bought over the counter, but you need to know certain things before you start on a probiotic treatment. For some severe cases additional measures have to be taken to kill the excess of yeast, but in most cases a temporary increase in the probiotics amount in your diet should be fine.

Borș is a soury fermented juice obtained by fermenting wheat bran. The fermented bran juice is full of probiotics, and many of the nutrients in the cereals become more bioavailable after the fermentation, making borș a functional food.

Fermented foods have been used since the antiquity, and there is a lot of scientific evidence that fermented foods benefits our health on a long and short term. From yogurt, to pickles, and wine and beer, fermented foods and drinks are not only great for our health, they are also delicious.

Kefir vs Yogurt compared side by side. Learn which of the two fermented milk products is better. Kefir is a fermented milk drink, similar to yogurt, with a milder taste and a different probiotic composition. Kefir is considered to be better as a probiotic food, because of the bacterial profile used to ferment it. Many people prefer the less tart taste of kefir, but other people like yogurt better.

Candida overgrowth can be cured with probiotics at home. Probiotics can be bought over the counter, but you need to know certain things before you start on a probiotic treatment. For some severe cases additional measures have to be taken to kill the excess of yeast, but in most cases a temporary increase in the probiotics amount in your diet should be fine.

Fermented foods are foods that are transformed through controlled fermentation, by microorganisms. Food fermentation has various objectives such preservation, taste and aroma enhancements, or even obtaining absolutely new foods, or drinks, without any resemblance of the original ingredients.

Yogurt is a fermented milk product, made by controlled fermentation with special cultures. The cultures contain selected bacteria, that produce lactic acid giving the milk the sour taste. The bacteria also modify the milk's texture, giving it the specific thickness that is very prized.

Make your own kefir. By fermenting the milk, you obtain a delicious drink, very nutritious, and easy to digest. In the process, even commercial milk will get back some of the lost enzymes through pasteurization.

Sour pickles, also called lacto-fermented pickles, or probiotic pickles are very easy to make at home. The sour pickles recipe is very simple, add one Tbs salt per quart of water, and let it ferment. Lactic acid bacteria will do the rest for you. See inside tips on pickling, and what vegetables you can pickle with lactofermentation.

Boza is a thick drink, slightly alcoholic, with a sour- sweet taste, that varies depending on the amount of sugar added, and the fermentation length. Boza is an amazing fermented drink, which contains a lot of probiotics, vitamins A, B, and E, in a highly bioavailable form, and it caries all the health benefits of a probiotic drink. In most of the Eastern European countries, the drink it is called boza, after the Turkish name, where it originates apparently, or braga in Romania. There is also a similar recipe made from bread, called kvass, and that recipe was firstly brewed by Russians.

This is a list with accessible, easy to buy, or prepare fermented, probiotic foods. All fermented foods contain a lot of probiotics and it is safe to eat them. In many countries, fermented foods are part of the daily diet. All fermented foods are very tasty, nutritious, and easy to digest.